Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or Lilting Glamour's OCs.

~xXx~

"Half my life's in books' written pages

Live and learn from fools and from sages

You know it's true

All the prayers come back to you."

—Aerosmith, Dream On

~xXx~

"I'm so very sorry about that last match. Risae and I will be taking this one very seriously, though, so have no worries," Hazuki smiled, a more sly and ambiguous smile than Yuuka had ever shown.

Ikue grimaced, forcing herself to keep on shaking Hazuki's hand. You fucking bitch.

After what she had just seen happen to Airi and Anna, Ikue was so not amused. Seigaku, she swore, would pay for it. To hell with the fact that Hazuki and Risae had defeated Tsukiko and Yuuka last year, this was a different year, and Seigaku wasn't going to claim victory this time.

Hyotei lost the call, which caused Ikue's grimace to deepen. Goddammit. Hazuki cocked her head, brown eyes widened in mock concern. "Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like to serve instead?"

Fuck off, Ikue thought. "I couldn't care less," was what she really said.

Risae sighed in exasperation, snatching the balls from Hazuki's hands. "I'll serve, Zuki-chan." She decided. Ikue made a mental note that Risae appeared to be the more sane of the two, though that wasn't saying much.

Ikue had won the right to be a regular last year, but she'd opted to be a sub regular and gave her rightfully won position to an upperclassmen. She didn't remember Tsukiko and Yuuka's match with Hazuki and Risae, but she did remember that it had been a pretty close match.

I can do this. We can do this, she thought as she glanced over at the nervous Chizuru.

"Hey, lighten up, Kataoka," she bumped the second year's shoulder. "We can do this."

As she strode back to the baseline, Ikue self-consciously traced the stripes of dye in her hair, blue the color of Hotaka's eyes and green the color of Daisuke's. This one's for you two.

~xXx~

"That comfortable enough?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Keigo-senpai."

All was silent for a good few seconds, none of the three making eye contact. Airi was staring down at her feet, head bowed in shame. Atobe wouldn't have been surprised if she were crying.

Finally, Kabaji spoke up. "How long?" he asked, simply put yet wanting to know everything.

"All my life," Airi replied hollowly, voice husky. She still refused to look up. "It got worse after you guys left though."

"Why didn't you ever tell us? Or Sorano?" Atobe asked next. He didn't know whether to be disapproving of her or simply worried, but that wasn't what mattered right now. Airi just needed them to be there for her.

She shrugged. "They didn't need to know. You didn't need to know."

Atobe gritted his teeth. Damn, that girl was as stubborn as she was perky and bright. "Don't give me any of that teen drama bullshit," he warned, eyes narrowing. "You're an athlete, of course your team members need to know about any health conditions. There's another reason, isn't there?"

By the hunching of her shoulders, he knew he had struck a chord.

"Why, Airi?" he demanded, voice rising to a desperate shout. "Why didn't you tell either of us? Are we not that important to you, did you think we wouldn't care?"

"Well, you left didn't you?" she yelled back. She would have shot upright if Kabaji hadn't stopped her. "You left me in London, and I hated it there! I was alone for six years, and you never even came back to visit!"

"That's an entirely different matter!"

"Enough, both of you," Kabaji cut in sternly. The lines on his face were disapproving, brown eyes reprimanding both of them. "This isn't worth fighting over."

Atobe laughed harshly. "Admit it, Kabaji, you'd side with her any of the week, right?"

Kabaji didn't say anything.

"Well," Atobe shrugged as he turned away. "What else should I have expected. It's always been that way, and you never learn or change, Kabaji."

The king ultimately rules alone.

~xXx~

"Game, Hyotei! 3 all!"

Araki Teruko nodded appreciatively. "Not too shabby, Hyotei. The girl with dyed hair knows what she's doing," she commented lightly.

Inui adjusted his glasses. "Shiina Ikue, yes. Of all the Hyotei regulars, she is the one I have the least data on, but you can't deny that she is a good player. Very steady, knows how to keep her emotions in." he agreed.

"Can't really say the same for her partner, though," Tsubaki scoffed.

Indeed, Kataoka Chizuru appeared to be struggling. While she did show some natural talent for doubles, she was too unsure, not confident enough to make the big shots. Shiina was the one hitting all the winners.

They watched as Ikue prepared to serve, bouncing the ball up and down several times. Her serve was not amazing in terms of power, but the amount of slice she could generate sent the ball sliding away from Risae in a clean ace.

"Think they'll win?" Teruko wondered aloud, though she didn't specify whom exactly she was talking about.

Yet Inui seemed to understand what she meant. Shaking his head, he replied, "No, they won't. She won't let it happen."

This time, they all knew whom she was referring to.

~xXx~

Ikue was pretty satisfied with herself. Her and Chizuru were losing, sure, but it was pretty close. And this was probably her personal best in a long while, so she was having fun with it.

That is, until Akiyoshi Hazuki purposefully mishit the ball and turned to smirk at her. "You're not bad, Shiina," she said, that smirk never leaving her face. "I like you."

Fuck off. "That's great," Ikue replied flatly. "I've earned the approval of Seigaku's captain. My life's dream has been accomplished."

Hazuki was unaffected by the sarcasm. "Can't really say the same for your partner, though." Chizuru jumped noticeably, looking very much like a deer in headlights as she tried not to meet Hazuki's eyes. "Is she nervous, or is she just always this jumpy?"

"Zuki," Risae warned, her teakwood brown eyes stern. "Just keep on playing."

"Right," Hazuki shrugged, casually leaning forward in ready position. "Just keep playing. Got it."

~xXx~

Tsukiko bit her lip in concern. Said, "Chizuru-chan's too nervous. It must be from what Akiyoshi-san said about her," with concern.

"I will murder that bitch," Yuuka deadpanned, glaring at Hazuki. "Who does she even think she is?"

There were a few choice words Tsukiko wanted to say, but then she recoiled when she realized how horrible they were. I won't be cruel to you, Yuuka, even if you don't care about me.

Shun, however, chose to say some choice words of her own. "Funny you mention that, Akechi, since you're just like her," she said dryly, crossing her arms. After the chaos from Airi's asthma attack, Shun had briefly introduced them to Taiki, her eleven year old brother. They sat together on the bleachers, quietly observing.

"Excuse me?" Yuuka cut her eyes over to the returned vice captain. "What are you insinuating, exactly?"

Tsukiko, not wanting another blowup when her team had just been reunited, chose to interfere. "She doesn't mean anything, Yuuka," she said, shooting a meaningful look Shun's way. The dark haired girl merely shrugged, back to her impassive and prideful self.

"Game, Seigaku! 5-3!"

What? Tsukiko thought in shock, jerking her head up towards the scoreboard. Sure enough, Seigaku had a 5 while Hyotei had 3. Wasn't it just 3 all? Apparently neither Yuuka nor Shun had known, either, both looking bewildered.

"Akiyoshi served straight aces," a slightly shaky voice said from behind them. They turned to see Anna, gripping her knees as she stared down at the ground. "And Kataoka made some unforced errors. Definitely too nervous."

Always the empathetic one, Tsukiko turned to Anna concernedly. "What about you, Anna? How are you doing?" She knew that the hot-tempered girl wasn't happy for sure, but a rough estimate of her anger would be nice.

Anna shrugged. "I'm fine, just pissed that they didn't find me worthy enough to hit to," she replied sarcastically.

Bitterly, Tsukiko thought of how that was just the story of her life. Both her and Yuuka were credited as nationally strong players, but when it came to them as a pair everyone assumed that Yuuka was better. Which she was, definitely, but that didn't mean it didn't still hurt. Goddammit, it really hurt, being seen as weak. "I know how you feel," Tsukiko nodded, speaking at almost a whisper. "It hurts, doesn't it?"

"It does."

They remained that way for a while, quietly contemplating. At least, Tsukiko was. For not the first time, she contemplated her friendship with Yuuka, one that was unlikely but had somehow lasted for over fourteen years, of a brave warrior and her guardian angel. It had always been that way, hadn't it? Yuuka had always charged her way through things, not caring of the consequences while Tsukiko carefully followed and cleaned up all her messes without complaint. And then a ways down the path, there was Erena, who healed all the little details Tsukiko had missed. It had always been like that, always.

Suddenly, she realized that Anna was saying something, snapping out of her thoughts. "Don't ever put me in doubles again, buchou," Anna said quietly, but her voice was hard and determined, mind completely made up.

"Doubles is always hard at first, but—" Tsukiko stopped midway through her sentence. Who was she kidding? Anna would never get better at doubles if she hated it so much, and Tsukiko, as captain, had to respect that. It was pretty much the only thing she could do that was captain-like, after all.

Anna elaborated further. "I'm just not used to it, and there's just too much pressure, you know? In singles you only need to worry about yourself, but knowing that you have a partner relying on you and you have to rely on them…it's just too much for me. I don't think I could ever get used to it."

Tsukiko smiled, reached over and touched Anna's shoulder. "I know."

"Game, Hyotei! 4-5!"

"It looks like we're making a comeback," Erena mused, though her face was doubtful.

"Not a chance," Yuuka replied grimly, eyes never leaving the court. "Akiyoshi hasn't done a thing yet."

The unreadable curve of Hazuki's smirk was proof enough that no, indeed, Seigaku was not done yet.

~xXx~

Rule number one to doubles: Have absolute trust in your partner.

Well, Risae thought, Looks like I've broken the first rule.

Risae wasn't as academically gifted as Inui or Tezuka or Hazuki, but she took pride in being at least a little more human than the rest of those robots. Inui was as socially awkward as he was creepy, Tezuka had the same emotional understanding as a brick, and Hazuki simply didn't care much for other people. Risae, on the other hand, had always been naturally good at reading people.

A first reading of Shiina Ikue? That girl was all calm waters and smoothness, but she had her hackles raised and soul aflame underneath. She wasn't quite impassive, no, but her emotions were guarded closely so she wouldn't get hurt, it seemed. And this worried Risae, because these were the exact type of girls Hazuki preyed on, ripped apart from the inside out.

Kataoka Chizuru was easier to read. She had the talent and perseverance, but she lacked the confidence in herself, letting Shiina take most of the shots. So different from that other second year, the one that had gotten the asthma attack. Risae wouldn't have minded helping Kataoka, giving her tips on making sure that she was confident enough, but she couldn't. Kataoka was the enemy, no matter how endearing she was.

Risae forced herself to remember whom the opposing side was as she stepped forward and poached Shiina's forehand. Hyotei is the enemy, not your own partner.

Bitterly, she remembered that to Hyotei, Seigaku wasn't the enemy. It had always been a battle between Hyotei and Rikkai, the two strongest schools in the country. Seigaku was known for being strong, but they weren't at the top. So who were they enemies to?

"Oi, Risae!" Tsubaki called from the sidelines. "Stop daydreaming, it's your turn to receive!"

Risae gritted her teeth. Honestly, she didn't really like most of her teammates. Tsubaki was goddamn annoying, Ami was moralistic yet naïve, Kotone was just a pretty face to her, and Hazuki was fucking terrifying. Ayuka and Teruko were okay, but Risae still liked to distance herself a little from them. She gave everyone nicknames to convince them that she liked them, when in reality she grimaced every time she said them.

So what was she doing then? What was she doing, trying to win for a team she didn't even like? What was the point to it all?

"Game, Hyotei! 5 all!"

She didn't care that Shiina's serve had just aced her, didn't care at all. Because what was she doing here, if she didn't care for her team?

"Risae," Hazuki said, holding out the tennis balls in front of her. "It's your serve."

Tennis. That was what she'd come here for, and she would play it all she wanted, no matter if she liked her teammates or not. She came for tennis, for herself, and she would play tennis.

Her four straight aces were enough to prove that, and when a usually docile boy with brown hair started cheering for her, she remembered that she'd also come for someone else, too.

~xXx~

"Go Furuya-san!" Kawamura cheered loudly.

Momoshiro looked at him in amazement, purple eyes wide. He gripped Echizen's arm. "Quick, Echizen, check to see if he's holding his racquet!"

The first year, who had unfortunately not grown much in three years, scowled, pulling the brim of his cap down. "Momo-senpai, that hurts!" he grumbled, yanking his arm out from Momoshiro's grasp. But he still checked anyway, making sure that Kawamura's yellow racquet was not in his hand but in his bag. Smirking, he said, "You must really like Furuya-senpai, Taka-san."

Kawamura blushed, stopped his cheering as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "She looked a little doubtful for a second, so I thought she could do with some cheering up," he explained as his blush darkened.

Momoshiro clapped him on the back. "Ah, Taka-san, you're in love. How I remember the feeling of falling in love during the springtime…" He sighed dramatically. Kawamura chose not to mention how Momoshiro was younger than him. Let the boy dream for once, before Kaidoh yelled at him.

"Speak for yourself, Momo-senpai. When are you finally going to ask out that girl you've been talking about so much? Nagasaki-senpai, right?" Echizen smirked as he took a casual sip of his Ponta.

"O-oi!"

Fuji chose that moment to cut in, smiling ever so sickly sweet. "What about you, Echizen? Have you made any progress with Ryuzaki-chan these past three years?"

Echizen shrugged. "What progress is there to be made?"

"Touché," Fuji admitted, turning to Tezuka and Oishi. "And what about you two? Making any progress with Igarashi, Oishi? And you with Wakanari, Tezuka?"

"Fuji."

"Yes, Tezuka?"

"Be quiet. The match is still going on. And what about you?"

"Touché."

~xXx~

"Game, Seigaku! 6-6!"

Chizuru bit her lip as she tried not to scream. She hated tiebreakers, always managed to lose them. I can't do this, oh my god I can't do this.

Suddenly, she felt a thunk on the top of her head. Ikue had hit her lightly with her racquet, was staring down at her with unreadable violet eyes. "Relax, Kataoka," was all she said, taking her racquet off and turning away.

Ikue knew pain. Maybe that was why she was so sensitive to the pain of others, because she had felt it herself.

I'd like to put my faith in Ikue-senpai.

Hazuki was serving first. She sent the ball straight down the middle, a serve Chizuru had been having trouble with for most of the match. But this time, she managed to get her racquet on it, returning with a fairly weak shot that just barely clipped over the net. Risae picked it up, and then Ikue hit a forehand that whipped past Hazuki.

"0-1!"

Chizuru and Ikue managed to carry that momentum through the whole tiebreaker, winning the first set. When Ikue turned to her with a smile after Chizuru had just sealed the last point, the third year looked purely happy for once.

Chizuru hoped Choutarou was watching, that he was cheering for her. But then again, she was okay if he wasn't. Because she had something more important at hand right now.

~xXx~

Yuuka clapped them both on the shoulders, though she wasn't smiling. She didn't even look happy, either, and that was enough to sober Ikue down immediately.

"You did a good job," the eden eyed girl admitted. "But you haven't won yet. Never ever let your guard down against Akiyoshi."

"Look, Akechi, for all this stuff you say about Akiyoshi, she hasn't really done anything spectacular yet," Ikue interjected, slightly frustrated. "It's Akiyoshi-this and Akiyoshi-that, just tell us what makes her such a tough opponent and maybe we'll know what to do against her."

Yuuka looked at her impassively. "Who does she remind you of, Shiina? Think about that first, and then tell me what makes her so frightening."

Ikue was about to protest that that was stupid, that Akiyoshi Hazuki did not remind her of anyone. But then she remembered an incident just a month ago, when a second year with a twisted ankle had been given no mercy by the same girl standing in front of Ikue now. She didn't know Hazuki very well, but the Seigaku didn't have very much trouble reminding Ikue of Yuuka.

And Yuuka in that moment, shouting at Ishino…that reminded Ikue of something else entirely. She thought back to a playground, of hiding underneath the slide while all her classmates were hunting her down, taunting her.

"Oh," was all she said. "Oh."

Yuuka nodded, and the hunch to her shoulders showed that she understood.

~xXx~

It all came crashing down during the second set.

Hyotei was winning 2-1, and as they switched sides, Hazuki and Ikue met at the post. Without stopping, Hazuki hissed, "Unwanted freak."

Ikue froze. How does she know?

"I'm hurt that you forgot about me, Shiina," Hazuki said casually, inspecting a nail. "Elementary school should have been pretty memorable for you."

"I've been forgetting it, until you reminded me," Ikue snapped. Unwanted. Freak. Mistake. The words she had grown up hearing, and the words Hazuki had grown up saying to her.

Hazuki hadn't been the only one, and definitely not the worst. But she was the only one that had traced her here, who was still somewhat connected and was hurting her now.

A playground. Hiding under the slide. A crowd of kids hunting her down, taunting her. Unwanted. Freak. Mistake. Biting her hand to keep from crying out, tears of pain threatening to spill.

Demons of the past always came back to haunt you, didn't they?

~xXx~

Risae glared at Hazuki. "What did you say to her, Zuki?" she demanded. She might have been here to play tennis because she loved it, but she would not stand to have a doubles partner like Hazuki.

The brown haired girl flicked her hand dismissively. "Just reuniting with an old elementary school classmate. Nothing important, or nothing that concerns you."

That did it. Risae stepped forward, got in the shorter girl's face. "Look, Akiyoshi," she hissed. "You know why I play doubles with you? Because nobody else was stupid enough to, and you don't like singles, that's the only reason why I'm doing this. And I was fine with your usual methods of intimidation, but saying whatever the hell you said to that girl is too much. You've just crossed the line, Akiyoshi."

"So?" Hazuki challenged, raising a brow. "Should I be worried or something?"

Risae gritted her teeth, knowing very well that she was about to say something she didn't want to say. "No, you shouldn't," she said, stepping back. "You're Akiyoshi fucking Hazuki, and you don't care about anyone else. Don't worry about something someone like me just said."

"I'm not as moralistic as Ami-chan, and I'm not as ruthless as you or Tsubaki. I'll keep on playing, but I'm not playing for you or for Seigaku." Risae finished, meeting her gaze levelly.

"Then what are you playing for, Risae? What is it that drives you to play tennis?" Hazuki wanted to know. Her brown eyes were burning, burning with her ruthlessness and want to know more.

Just the tiniest bit smugly, Risae thought, you don't know anything about me, demon girl. You won't be learning anything soon, either.

"I don't play for anyone but myself. I'm here for myself and for a friend," was all she said.

~xXx~

"Game and set, Seigaku! 6-3!"

Tentatively, Chizuru reached out and touched Ikue's shoulder. "Ikue-senpai? What's wrong?" she asked softly, afraid that she might get snapped at.

Ikue didn't look at her, didn't even move. "Hey, Kataoka?" she asked, caught in a dream-like trance.

"Yes, senpai?"

Absently, Ikue ruffled Chizuru's curly auburn hair. "You're a great kid, you know? Don't put so much pressure on yourself, it's not worth it."

"Senpai?"

"All I'm saying is that you should be a little happier, okay? Can you do that for me?" Ikue continued on, finally looking at her. She was waiting expectantly for an answer, no longer dream-like but more comatose.

"…I guess I can…" She had absolutely no idea what Ikue was talking about, didn't know if her senior was being honest in such a state. What's gotten into you, senpai?

Ikue ruffled Chizuru's hair again, a vague smile floating around. "Good girl. Now why don't we finish the match?"

~xXx~

The winner was not Hyotei.

~xXx~

"Game, set, and match, Seigaku! 6-7, 6-3, 6-1!"

Ayuka let out a breath of relief. "Good job, Hazuki and Risae. You did really well," she congratulated, squeezing Risae's arm gently. Don't lose your temper, Risae.

"Yeah," the blonde girl shrugged, trudging off to sit next to Kawamura, who gave her a warm smile. "Thanks."

Hazuki, meanwhile reclaimed her seat on the bench. She turned to Kotone, who was in the middle of stretching out her back. "You're up next."

"How are you feeling, actually, Takahashi-san?" Fuji asked curiously.

Kotone's brow puckered. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you're going against Sorano Tsukiko, one of Hyotei's strongest players. Aren't you the least bit nervous?" he pointed out.

"Sorry, Fuji-kun," she shrugged, glossy black hair spilling over her shoulder. "But I don't get intimidated that easily."

He smiled, or was that a smirk? Kotone could never tell, but she was entranced by the curve of his mouth all the same. "As expected from the beauty queen," he teased.

~xXx~

"There, there, Ikue-senpai," Chizuru said gently, guiding her by the arm over to a seat. "Come on."

Ikue had remained in that same comatose-like trance for the last set, and even now she seemed completely unaware of her surroundings. It was seriously starting to worry Chizuru, but she knew that if anyone could snap her out of it, it was Anna.

Then again, Anna wasn't in the best state of mind herself. Oh how cruel the world of tennis could be.

"Hi, Zuru," an unusually quiet voice came from behind her said. Airi. "You did really well."

No, I didn't. I should have helped Ikue-senpai instead of letting her lose herself like that. "Thanks, Airi," she smiled weakly in return. "Are you feeling better now?"

Airi threw her hands up in exasperation, and that was more like the Airi Chizuru knew, the spunky and cheerful girl who wouldn't let anything stand in her way. "Jesus Christ, it's not like I'm made of glass! All I had was an asthma attack!" she proclaimed.

Chizuru couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry, but after we were all so worried, I don't think you can brush it off as just an asthma attack."

"For the last time, I am not made of glass!"

~xXx~

"Impressive serves, Tezuka. Though I'd suggest getting more spin on that last one."

Tezuka stiffened momentarily—on the inside, of course—before turning to face his rival. "Atobe," he nodded curtly.

Atobe, Tezuka found, had always been a completely different enigma entirely. He had a rivalry with just about every strong player in the high school division—Yukimura and Sanada, Rikkai's top two, Echizen, and Tezuka himself. There was also that particularly lengthy match with Shitenhouji's Shiraishi last year, which Atobe had just barely grasped the victory.

Tezuka cleared his throat. "What are you here for, Atobe?"

The Hyotei captain's mouth twisted into what Tezuka could hardly call a smile. "What could I need from some commoner like you, Tezuka? Don't flatter yourself." He scoffed.

"You also crippled this commoner three years ago, so I believe you find him worthy of more than just kissing the dirt you walk upon," Tezuka shot back, eyes narrowing behind his glasses. This wasn't the Atobe he'd grown to know over the past six years. No, this was a different Atobe, one that was angry and out of control.

"A match, then? Unless you're too afraid to face the king."

Tezuka was tempted to say yes, but there were so many reasons why it wouldn't be a good idea. They were both Singles 1 and their teams would face off later that day, and it would be plain stupid to play each other now when they probably would later. "No."

"Too bad," Atobe shrugged, though he clearly didn't care. "Mind if I join in your serving practice, then?"

"I don't mind."

There it was again, that same twisted grimace of a smile. It was oddly familiar actually, and Tezuka recognized Atobe smiling that same way when he'd gone up against Shiraishi the year before. Vaguely, he could recall the reason why Atobe had been wearing such an expression, even if Tezuka usually dismissed gossip.

"Oh," Atobe paused before serving, looked up at him straight in the eye. "Your female team won't win."

How was that even related? "You're underestimating Akiyoshi and Mayuzumi," Tezuka replied. Akiyoshi Hazuki was terrifying by all standards, and he knew that Mayuzumi Ayuka wasn't Singles 1 for just any reason.

Atobe shrugged, served cleanly down the middle with a serve that didn't bounce. Tannhauser Serve. "Your mistake."

Tezuka didn't know what Atobe was referring to, but he chose not to say anything. Sometimes, it was better for commoners not to question the antics of the king.

~xXx~

Taiki tugged on her sleeve. "Is there anywhere I can get a drink, Nee-san?" he asked quietly, looking around the area.

Shun smiled a little, a smile that was reserved for him. "I'll get you something. Juice or soda?"

"Soda, please."

Making sure that Taiki was sitting next to her teammates, Shun got up in search of a vending machine. It was kind of nice to be back at a tennis court, even if she wasn't playing or fully accepted back to her team. But she would try to win back their trust, or whatever faith they used to have in her. She'd apologize to Tsukiko for real when this was all over, and then her conscience would be lifted and she could play to her fullest again.

And then she'd have to find a way to clear the air with her and Yuuka, but that was for later. Right now, she just wanted to be a part of the team again. I promise that if I'm let back in I'll try to fix everything I broke before.

The clunk of a soda can dropping down took her out of her reverie, and she bent down to retrieve it. When she turned to go, however, a girl was standing before her. Short, with sandy blonde hair that went to her shoulders and serious light blue eyes. Her clothes were casual, yet she was wearing a black, yellow, and red sports jacket over her shirt.

"Hello," she said, voice steady. "Himura-san, right?"

"Yes," Shun nodded, wary and on guard. "Why?"

The girl didn't smile or show any sign of friendliness, but there were faint traces of childishness in her cheeks. "My name," she said, "is Hashimoto Sayuri, Rikkai second year. Suzuki-fukubuchou has talked quite a bit about you, Himura-san."

~xXx~

End

~xXx~

A/N: I'm guessing the result of the match was kind of predictable, as a couple of you mentioned, but I'm definitely not done with Hazuki or Risae yet. Or Tsubaki and Ami, for that matter.

Mentions of "Nagasaki-senpai", "Igarashi", and "Wakanari" all refer to characters from Liliting Glamour's story Shattered Fragments, a TezukaOC. It's set in the same time as Lost in Your Eyes, her story that crosses over with this one. Tanaka Jun, Harada Minori, and Morita Leiko, characters that have all made an appearance in earlier chapters, belong to her too, and Jun and Minori will be showing up more soon. I highly encourage reading both Shattered Fragments and Lost in Your Eyes, not just because there will be several references to them as this story moves on, but also because Lilting Glamour is damn amazing and they are great stories.

So I also decided to, as several other fanfic authors have done, create a tumblr. The link is on my profile, but the url is cara-s-kingdom dot tumblr dot com (FFN is difficult with links). Check it out if you have time, ask me any questions, send me requests, anything really! :)

Some Things On Akechi Yuuka…

She doesn't really hate Shun, it's just that she doesn't like how reserved and cold she is. So she tries to bring her to life through competition, and well, it sort of works, sort of backfires.

Tsukiko is, has been, and always will be her only best friend. Erena's very close with them, but she hangs out with Oshitari more. Tsuki is the only one who's actually stood by her after all these years.

The first time she went to Atobe's house for dinner, she accidentally spilled punch on the tablecloth and blamed it on Atobe's mother. Everyone but Atobe was fooled by it.

Pink and purple are her least favorite colors, but she dyed her hair with them anyway. Might as well see something you hate whenever you look in the mirror.

Her favorite type of movie is anything animated from Disney. She will always be the first in line to the midnight premiere of a new Disney or Disney/Pixar film. Her favorite is The Fox and the Hound, but when Frozen came out she begged Tsukiko to sing "Let It Go" six times in a row and "Do You Wanna Build A Snowman" four. Needless to say, Tsukiko has been sworn to eternal secrecy on that matter.

Love, Cara